Enhancing Court Services to apply VAWA/TLOA

The Department of Justice developed a comprehensive and coordinated approach for tribal governments to apply for funding to reduce and prevent crime and victimization. Through this process, the Department's existing tribal government-specific programs are included in, and available through, a single Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS). Through this solicitation, only one application was accepted from each federally recognized tribe to encourage comprehensive assessments of need and planning. Each tribe could apply for funding under up to eight purpose areas, which included funding from the Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS), Office of Justice Programs (including BJA, Office for Victims of Crime and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention) and Office on Violence Against Women. The tribe had the flexibility to select the purpose areas whose funding addressed the needs of the tribe as outlined in its tribal and community profile. There were eight purpose areas in total, and Purpose Area 3 was dedicated to Tribal Justice Systems, and Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention.

The purpose of the Tribal Justice Systems (TJS) Program is to support a range of activities that may include: the prevention and reduction of alcohol and substance abuse-related crimes; the identification, apprehension, and prosecution of individuals who illegally transport, distribute, and abuse alcohol and controlled substances in Tribal communities; an increased coordination with relevant non-Tribal agencies and organizations and among all levels of the Tribe; the implementation of Tribal justice system interventions for substance abusing offenders, including drug courts or co-occurring drug and mental health courts; the provision of substance abuse and other treatment in correctional facilities, and the provision of treatment, aftercare, and other reentry supportive services to offenders reentering communities from correctional facilities; the integration of Tribal, Federal, state, and local services and culturally appropriate treatment for offenders and their families; an increase of capacity to collect and share justice system data on drug- and alcohol-related offenses; and the protection of children from alcohol and drug use and/or production. The TJS Program also supports the development and enhancement of Tribal justice system operations; training of Tribal justice staff; planning of new or enhancement of existing various Tribal courts, such as peacemaking courts, healing to wellness courts, sentencing circles, and other alternative justice courts; and to support diversion programs, Tribal probation services, and alternative dispute resolution methods.

The Tesuque Tribal Court will implement the following project goals: (1) address the high number of alcohol-related cases by providing culturally relevant Tribal court services through development and implementation of an Adult Healing to Wellness Court; ( 2) establish the Tribal court’s ability to exercise special jurisdiction and enhanced sentencing via the Violence Against Women Act and the Tribal Law & Order Act by coordinating a justice task force to convene regularly to identify and draft necessary code revisions; (2) hire appropriate court staff; and (3) improve the court’s organization by hiring a court clerk and purchasing a case management system.

CA/NCF